For a while in the '90s, it seemed like Nickelodeon was bombarding us with really obscure and really bizarre cartoons. SpongeBob Square Pants, Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys, Rocko's Modern Life and numerous others. The most bizarre was their inspired show about conjoined animals, a cat and a dog. Created by Peter Hannan and simply named Catdog, the show followed the misadventures of Cat (with voice actor Jim Cummings whose credits include The Lion King, Winnie the Pooh and countless other shows and films) and Dog (played by Tom Kenny, best known as the voice of SpongeBob) as they try to do their own things while forever being joined to the other.
Popping the DVD in I'm instantly brought back to those awkward moments when I'd walk in and see my kids watching the show and I'd try to figure out what the hell I was watching. Much like a person driving past a car accident on the freeway, you can't help but stare. In fact, I still have the theme song stuck in my head.
"One fine day with a woof and a purr, a baby was born and it cause a little stir. No blue bug, no three-eyed frog, just a feline canine little catdog. Catdog. Catdog. Alone in the world was a little catdog."
That traffic accident curiosity? Usually revolved around the important issue that boggled the mind of all who watched… How did Catdog go to the bathroom? They shared a torso and faced opposite directions. There was NO bottom half to either of them.
While this DVD collection does nothing to explain that particular mystery, it does entertain. You couldn't have two more polar opposites than Catdog. Cat is all prim and proper. Very sophisticated and reserved. Smart and cunning. Dog? Well, dog is a dog. He likes to bury things and eat.
One of the standouts on the DVD collection for me was "Full Moon Fever," in which the full moon brings out Dog's wolf-like personality. And what does he want to do now that he's a badass wolf? Why, join the wild pack dog gang known as the Greasers, of course.
The Greasers put Dog through a series of tests to see if he's worthy of joining the gang, (such as rip the pants off a mailman), and Dog passes all of them with flying colors. What Dog finally sees when he is brought into the gang though, is how this has all made his brother, Cat, miserable throughout these tests. He reverts from his wild, wolflike form and apologizes to Cat. After all, they are each other's best friend.
There are no DVD extras in this collection but to be honest, I'm glad. What you do have with this collection is a wonderful trip down memory lane. My recollection of these episodes was a bit fuzzy — so in watching a few of them was like seeing them for the first time. Best thing to come from watching these episodes with my kids? My daughter, age 7, has a show to watch now that is actually a joy to watch with her.
Steven A. Wilcox is an aspiring comic book artist whose work has appeared in various small press books, mostly from the El Paso, TX publisher; Project4Studios. He has been a comic book fan for as long as he can remember. His favorite part of doing reviews and interviews for Comics Bulletin is it gives him an excuse to read more comics, watch cartoons and talk to his favorite creators. He can be contacted on Twitter at @StevenWilcox72 or on Facebook.